The STAR Program has started back here at MentorKids Kentucky and that means… Thursday nights filled with fun board games, help with homework, and building key life skills with the kids we serve! Recently we accepted a family of four into our program. Two of the kids live with great-grandma, one lives with another great-grandma, and the last one lives with mom. These kids are so sweet, and they are such a blessing to each other and everyone around them.

Each week we ask the kids to bring their homework. At the STAR Program we strive to make academic excellence a priority. We had noticed that one of the little boys was struggling in school so we reached out to his teacher to ask how we could help. She let us know that he had a map of the United States test the next day. We found a map with the states labeled and one without. The labeled map was printed off on blue paper and laminated, with the intention of it being used for many more STAR nights.

That night we sat down with the him and helped make connections with all the states. For example, we were telling him what each state is known for, like Idaho Potatoes. He began to enjoy doing this, so much so that the other siblings saw how much he was enjoying it and would try to guess what state we were learning about next.

When the night was over the little boy asked if he could take the laminated map home to study it, of course we had to say yes, knowing that we probably wouldn’t see the map again, haha. When you are non-profit having something laminated is a big deal!

The next day we received an email from his teacher saying that when he came to school, he was so excited for his test that day! The little guy even asked her to study with him during recess, RECESS! He wanted to study for a test when he could have been playing with his friends! Who would have known that printing off that map and sitting shoulder to shoulder with him as he learned, would have such a huge impact on his life?

The STAR Program demonstrates how simply showing up and being intentional can make all the difference in the life of a kid in our community. To learn how you can show up and be intentional call us at 270-926-6893!

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